I think the show is just as great as it should be, except Laura needs some more practicing on hitting the camera on the end Even though, I think the player is so incredibly small on my screen http://i.imgur.com/H3TslYJ.jpg Some of those big events here on CH9 has large video screens, but I do not get why all the other videos doesn't have it. And the CH9 guy is on your left in the bookself

And why didn't you tell me that you guys where on Reddit? I even submitted a question to Bill Gates when he was on Reddit a few days ago

And about the Redbox, that might be good... for you guys in the US. People here in Norway still has to wait maybe over a year before they have to pay 2x your price in order to get a new movie on a dvd or bluray, probably why so many people download it from TPB and get it for free instead

It's been a number of weeks since I was on channel 9 and what a way to welcome me back.... first topic off the blocks – Africa! Let me begin by saying as an African, I laud Microsoft in its 4Africa initiative – the clarion call for many African nations these days is – TRADE NOT AID possibly because Trade is more sustainable and has more dignity. Trade is partnership while Aid is simply "helping out a brother" and generally comes with conditions that pose social-cultural challenges to implement. Due to time I will not comment on Laura's plethora of comments that reeked of ignorance of the continent (second largest by Population and Size) but would rather like to know – What is an African App? Considering Africa is so...so diverse... I mean, having over 1 billion people speaking over 3,000 languages (and therefore belonging to a similar number of cultural groups) distributed over 54 countries and 7 territories. Some countries like Nigeria having over 500 different language groups within its borders and others like Somalia have only one. What is an African App? Who is this that is building these mythical "African" Apps for us? Have they visited any part of Africa? (Watching Nat Geo doesn't count) I would advise Microsoft to use "African" brains in getting "African" type content – because yes we do write software "down here" too and we would be better placed to write useful context relevant content (at least for the area the devs come from). Otherwise it's an exercise in futility and will not amount to much!

What is an African App? Considering Africa is so...so diverse... I mean, having over 1 billion people speaking over 3,000 languages (and therefore belonging to a similar number of cultural groups) distributed over 54 countries and 7 territories. Some countries like Nigeria having over 500 different language groups within its borders and others like Somalia have only one. What is an African App? Who is this that is building these mythical "African" Apps for us? Have they visited any part of Africa?

I think the incredible diversity that you are outlining here is precisely the reason why Microsoft has put together the AppFactory portion of this initiative. They want to have people from Africa submit ideas for apps that will benefit the local communities and businesses... and have it built by developers based in Africa. As for the pre-loaded apps on the 4Afrika device, I'm not certain what will be there and if it will be beneficial for the continent as a whole.

I assume that if you're on C9 you're likely a developer. So if you think the African market is underserved with quality apps, you could easily compete with the other developers who have only watched "nat geo" .

@PaulMest:, this is my take on the AppFactory approach - it is currently in 2 out of 54 countries which is hardly African but still a start. These two countries have hosted Microsoft's more "prestigious" campuses as far as Africa is concerned but they are hardly the growth areas in Africa as far as software development and ICT is concerned.

on the dev challenge - windows 8 apps are still a challenge (read unprofitable) to build for a market that is hugely android's - when this changes, we shall join the bandwagon in droves.

The show is good. The time allocated works well. Good coverage of 3-4 topics in a relatively short period of time.

Thoughts for improvement / change? In the past, I was using the Zune client to auto download a number of podcast weekly(ish) with Channel9 as one of them. Then I'd fire up the XBOX in combination with WMC and spend a few hours watching the podcasts on the big screen. Now that XBOX has significant app support how about a Channel9 app for not just PING but all Channel9 content? I like watching this stuff on the big screen. What about making it a little more interactive? Can you guys get your hands one a few touchscreens? (PixelSense?) Start showcasing some of the Microsoft products! Also, posting to Twitter or Facebook once may only catch limited folks at that time. Repost it a few times through out the week. Does the time you post impact views? What happened with Episode 164 (50k hits) vs. (~27k hits) on the last few.

I like to hear news about the 4Afrika initiative and similar. It's been my observation that Microsoft has these types of news stories more so than the competitors. It shows that Microsoft is not just about selling mass volumes of products to make a profit but rather getting product in the hands of those that can help foster development. Good stuff. I think my next Redmond Post article will touch on 4Afrika!

Was I the only one that noticed Paul wearing the Mythly colors? was that intentional? The start of product placement?

Feedback: Consider rehearsing more. It'll cut down on the number of times the presenter and the guest(s) will be saying "uh" - which was pretty annoying.

That is a good point and I've been working on this. I type out some of my ideas ahead of time, which has helped. But we don't use a teleprompter, so it is still somewhat difficult to recall exactly what I want to say all of the time.

Even though, I think the player is so incredibly small on my screen http://i.imgur.com/H3TslYJ.jpg Some of those big events here on CH9 has large video screens, but I do not get why all the other videos doesn't have it.

You want it to be bigger, but you don't want it to be full screen? Or do you not know about the full screen button?

Also, posting to Twitter or Facebook once may only catch limited folks at that time. Repost it a few times through out the week. Does the time you post impact views? What happened with Episode 164 (50k hits) vs. (~27k hits) on the last few.

I am guessing the majority of the views come from it being featured on the homepage. It would be interesting to see the percentage of people who are subscribed or look at it via tweets.

Good stuff. I think my next Redmond Post article will touch on 4Afrika!

Cool!

Was I the only one that noticed Paul wearing the Mythly colors? was that intentional? The start of product placement?

I didn't even think of that... now I will always think of that when I wear that shirt.

Love this episode.. the best part I think was the beginning when you were talking about the different backgrounds, and changing things around... and Paul's hair was perfect for when he was upside down..